Walk and zap: new study tests brain boosting combo for seniors
NCT ID NCT05830942
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether combining a special walking exercise with mild electrical brain stimulation can improve thinking and walking in adults aged 65 and older who have memory or mobility problems. Participants will do walking tasks while receiving either real or fake brain stimulation. The goal is to see if this combo can restore lost function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, non-drug way to help older adults maintain thinking and walking abilities.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 120 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The brain stimulation is mild and short, so benefits may be small or temporary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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65 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 65+ * Objective executive function decline, based on standardized cognitive assessments. * Subjective cognitive decline, based on the question: "During the past 12 months, have you experienced confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or getting worse?" * Ability to walking independently for 6 minutes (use of cane permitted) Exclusion Criteria: * Major cognitive disorder that interferes with independence * Percentile score less than 10th percentile on standardized cognitive assessments * Medications that are thought to influence tDCS neuroplasticity. * Contraindications to tDCS or MRI.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brooks Rehabilitation
RECRUITINGJacksonville, Florida, 32653, United States
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University of Florida
RECRUITINGGainesville, Florida, 32610, United States
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